Animals

Pop quiz—what kinds of animal mothers feed their babies before birth? The first (and maybe only) ones to come to mind are probably mammals like us—moms-to-be funnel nutrients from their blood supply right to their developing embryos through an organ called the placenta; the moms literally “eat for two.” That’s a different kind of nourishment than you see in most other animals—the majority lay eggs with a nutritious yolk for the embryo to use as it develops. Read more about New Discoveries in How Animal Moms-to-Be Feed Their Babies

Wherein Isobel and Maria show us the ropes -- or nets -- for surveying fishes in the Amazon. The distribution of fish in tropical river systems is important to understanding how animals move around these waterways. Where there are big fish -- like the electric eel -- we know there must be an ample supply of prey species, too!